It Was Only A Matter Of Time
by Datweirdgirl
Summary: Arthur wakes up in a strange place. He just wants to get out of this situation and find his wife, Francine. FrUk.


Warning: Dark themes, that's all I can say without spoiling it :P

Name Guide:

England:Arthur

America: Alfred

Nyo France: Francine

* * *

The air was murky and thick. Arthur fluttered his eyes open to find himself in a graveyard, still hearing the church bells. He yelped in surprise, realizing he wasn't at the altar. He was supposed to marry the love of his life, Francine. But where is Francine? And where in the world is he? He's still in his suit and green tie, matching his emerald eyes. He called out for her, but to no avail. Arthur couldn't help but panic when he couldn't hear a soul. He was stranded in the middle of some graveyard, which he doesn't remember coming to. Arthur gripped his dirty blonde hair, worried sick about Francine. He had to get out of this graveyard now.

Determined, Arthur brushed his suit of any dirt. He grumbled as he saw that his suit had tears and holes. Never mind that, he thought. What matters most is finding Francine.

Just then, he heard soft barking and a slight jingle from behind him. Arthur jumped, thinking that he was alone. Apparently not. He looked through the mist. There was a silhouette of something small bounding toward him. It was a golden retriever that rushed up to greet Arthur. It barked, louder this time, trying to tell him something. He bent down to stick out his hand to show he means no harm, but the dog just licked his hand. Arthur couldn't help but smile. He eyed the light blue collar that was on the golden retriever. There was some engraving on the tag.

ELIZABETH

IF LOST, PLEASE RETURN TO THE OWNER, ALFRED

…And that was it. The phone number and the last name had been scratched out. Arthur felt kind of sorry for Elizabeth, since her owner was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, why don't you come with me? I can help you look for your owner and you can help me find my bride." He offered. Arthur didn't expect Elizabeth to be so willing to go with a total stranger, but he was just glad he was not alone on this mission.

Elizabeth wagged her tail and began to sniff the ground. Arthur simply followed. He was confident he would find Francine and Elizabeth's owner, get out of this place, finally marry, and never have to experience getting dirt on himself ever again.

Arthur wished that he wasn't sure of himself, because now he's terribly disappointed. Angrier than anything. He's not angry at Elizabeth, but he's been following her for who now's how long. Not to mention they are still in this forsaken graveyard.

"Argh, I just wish to leave this wretched and gloomy place!" Exasperated, he threw his hands in the air in frustration.

Arthur looked down at Elizabeth. He could tell she was sluggish. "Elizabeth, you can take a break. It's better to conserve your energy." Arthur sighed heavily.

He plopped down on the ground, not caring about his suit anymore. Elizabeth hurriedly ran towards him and rested in his lap. She wagged her tail again. Arthur tiredly stroked the golden retriever's fur, trying to clear his thoughts, not knowing what to do.

He flinched when he heard multiple noises. Were there others here?

Whispers...The mist never felt so mysterious and cold. The whispers grew louder. Elizabeth whined. Arthur huddled her closer to his chest. Then the whispers grew even louder. It was deafening. Elizabeth howled just as loud. Arthur's ears began to ring he clenched his eyes in pain shut, covering his ears in pain.

"Make it stop!" Arthur shouts. He couldn't hear his own voice; through the deafening cacophony.

Then it stopped. Just like that. Elizabeth also stopped howling, only to start growling shortly after. Arthur finally flashed his eyes open. A tall and dark figure stood before them. It looked like a gaunt woman though she was abnormally tall. She was shrouded in mist.

"W-Who are you…?" He asks, growing more confident with each syllable.

The giant woman extended her long and slender hand. "I am the Lady of the Mist. You wish to leave Purgatory, yes?" She replied. Her voice echoing across the graveyard.

"Purgatory? What do you mean by that?" Arthur frowned. He's not dead. Or at least, he thinks he's not.

"You wish to leave?" The Lady of the Mist sternly repeated, ignoring his question. Something's not right…

Arthur didn't want to press it. He shook his head. "I'd rather find my bride and this gal's owner before I do that."

"I can help you. Follow the path that has no fog, no mist. There you shall see a light. Then you can finally be reunited with your bride, and she can be with her owner once again." She says, gently reaching down towards Elizabeth to pet her.

Elizabeth growled threateningly and nearly bit her. The Lady of the Mist shot back, clutching her hand. It seemed that Elizabeth still didn't trust her.

"Elizabeth, we have to trust her. This might be the only chance we have to see our loved ones again. Let's go." Arthur said, as he looked up to the lady with an apologetic look.

The Lady of the Mist said nothing. With a blank look, she vanished, leaving only mist. Arthur clenched his fist.

"That was rude, wasn't it Elizabeth? …It's whatever. Let's just leave before she hears me complain about her." Arthur said, annoyed.

Elizabeth woofed in reply. The path was right in front of them, leading them to what they truly desired. They both took off running, eager to finally find their loved ones. The clear path took many twists and turns. It appeared to stretch out farther than the eye could see but, Arthur and Elizabeth were determined. Arthur ran even faster, wanting to find Francine and comfort her, since she's been alone in a graveyard. Elizabeth just missed the silly belly rubs from Alfred. Arthur could see a faint golden light in the distance. That meant that they were getting closer. He smiles in relief.

 _I just want to see her again…_ He thought.

Arthur and Elizabeth finally reached the shining, almost blinding, light. There stood a rock, big enough for a person to lay on. And there was. A beautiful woman, having light brown hair neatly pulled into a bun. She had a veil on and was wearing a long gown with purple accents that were once white. Her pale skin had multiple bruises scattered all over her body. She seemed to be troubled. The woman looked in Arthur's direction, her eyes starting to glow.

"…Arthur?" She asks quietly, a look of hope on her face.

"Francine! I'm so glad to have finally found you!" Arthur exclaims, stretching out his arms.

Francine laughs in disbelief. She hopped off of the rock and hitched up her dress, allowing her not to trip on her gown as she ran up to him. Francine practically jumped into Arthur's arms. He picked her up and spun her around. She pecked him on the lips. Elizabeth pranced back and forth, happy to see that Arthur finally found Francine.

"O-Oh gosh, I was scared… I never felt so alone…" Francine says sorrowfully.

"Don't worry I'm here. But can we help Elizabeth?" Arthur questions.

He pointed down toward the golden retriever, who now was yipping excitedly. Francine let go of Arthur and gasped.

"Elizabeth?"

"She's looking for her owner Alfred." Arthur replied.

Elizabeth barked. And barked again. She pressed her snout to the ground. Then she ran off past the rock. Francine and Arthur looked at each other. He shrugged. They took off after Elizabeth, holding hands. Elizabeth was going too fast for them, so they lost her in the mist. The couple looked around desperately. Hearing distant barking, Arthur lead Francine over to the sound. They found Elizabeth on the ground with her owner Alfred, blond hair and blue eyes. He had glasses and looked a little younger than Francine. He was near a lake, which looked unearthly.

"Oh it was you guys who helped Lizzie, huh?" Alfred says as he grinned. He had a friendly and joyful demeanor.

Arthur looked at Francine and back at him. "Yes. Do you know where we are?"

Alfred rubbed the back of his head. "Nope. I have no idea. I just woke up in this graveyard, with cuts and a bruise on my neck. Do I get to learn your names?" He replied sheepishly.

"I'm Arthur and this is my bride, Francine." Arthur says.

"Why are we here?" Francine wondered, trying to stay on topic.

Arthur frowned. "Maybe that Lady of the Mist has something to do about it…" He said.

"You called?"

The three of them spun behind them, shocked to see the lady there. Arthur wasn't surprised though. He had a nagging feeling that she was watching the entire time.

"Hey, it's the mist lady! Do you have an idea where we are and why we're here?" Alfred asked.

"You're in Purgatory." She responds flatly.

"What are you on about?! What do you mean we're in purgatory?!" Arthur demanded. He was starting to agree with Elizabeth. He doesn't trust her.

"You are all dead. You're trapped in the Garden of Eden, where you are judged whether to go to Heaven or Hell." The Lady of the Mist said.

Everyone's eyes widened. Garden? This was a _graveyard_. More importantly, they were all dead? How and why? That does explain the bruises, dirt, holes, and cuts on them… How come no one remembers ever dying?

"Alfred. You died by hanging yourself. You were very depressed, hurting yourself often. You left your dog, Elizabeth, outside where she got walked into the street and got hit by a car."

"W-What…?" Alfred whispered. His glowing demeanor left him, as his eyes began to water. He didn't care that he died. He just couldn't believe he technically killed Elizabeth.

"I-I… I thought she was safe…" He mumbles softly. Alfred slowly reached out for Elizabeth, who willingly came closer to him.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry Elizabeth." He sobbed as he hugged her tightly. Elizabeth licked his tears away, trying to comfort him.

Francine put her hands on her mouth, feeling terrible for Alfred. Arthur felt the same. Someone who doesn't look a day over 17 killed himself and his dog. The Lady looked at him with no emotion.

"Arthur and Francine. You were having your wedding near a cliff where Francine slipped and fell. Arthur, desperately trying to save his bride, fell with her. The fall was not pretty. The cliff was steep and had sharp edges. Arthur was stabbed by the twigs and branches sticking out. Francine fell all the way down." She continued.

"I remember… I was falling so fast, and I saw you die before my eyes. I shouted your name but then I got cut off from the endless pain." Francine says softly. Now she was starting to cry.

Arthur held her in his arms. He had to stay strong for Francine. Even for Alfred, who was rocking himself with Elizabeth whimpering. At least he had his bride… He glared at the Lady of the Mist.

"Well? Where is he going? Where is she going? And what does Heaven and Hell mean around here?" Arthur wanted more answers.

"Heaven means your soul is going to be reincarnated into a living person. Hell means you are going to the void, never to be remembered again. Good news, the four of you are going to be reincarnated. Please step into the lake."

"Arthur I'm going to help Alfred." Francine spoke. She rushed over to the blonde, helping him up. Alfred quietly thanked her. He didn't say anything else. Francine held his hand, much like a caring mother would. With her other hand she took ahold her husband.

"Let's go together." She said as she smiled. He could tell it was painful. It was hard to accept that they were dead, and there was no turning back.

Arthur took her hand as the three of them trudged over toward the lake with Elizabeth following them. They got to the edge of the lake and walked deeper. The water wasn't making their clothes wet and it seemed that they were walking on water. The lake was a calm, the water a shade of pale green. They stood in the middle for a while until they started to slowly descend into the lake.

Arthur had one last kiss with Francine and Alfred looked up to the sky. He didn't deserve to be reincarnated, He thought. He didn't deserve Francine's or Arthur's kindness. He didn't-

Elizabeth barked. She licked his other hand that wasn't being held by Francine. Alfred realized that truthfully he was pessimistic. He just had the happy, joyful look to push everyone away. He regrets not getting help. Alfred sighs, letting all that go. What's done is done. Francine held his hand tighter. Alfred looked at her, puzzled.

"It's okay." She coaxed. Alfred couldn't help but think of her as his mother. So sweet and willing to help. And Arthur…

"What are you, our son? You do realize that we're about 30 right? You're like 16?" Arthur says jokingly.

"I'm 19!" Alfred exasperates.

Arthur laughed. He hasn't laughed so hard in a while. The water just passed their necks. They were ready to pass. Francine, Arthur, Alfred, and Elizabeth were dead all along and were going to be reincarnated. It was only a matter of time.

* * *

Fun fact, this was an actual story that I submitted to my teacher. Yup. Also originally Alfred's dog was going to be named Alice, but there were already two people with an A name. So I picked Nyo England's name Elizabeth (I like it better than Alice ok) Let me know what you think!


End file.
